The record low number of fatalities and advances in health on South African mines in 2024 is a result of the collaboration between all stakeholders who share the vision of Zero Harm and support the interventions and programmes developed by the Minerals Council South Africa in partnerships with its members.
The Minerals Council, an advocacy body whose members account for 90% of annual mined production by value, notes that the 42 fatalities reported for 2024 is a new all-time low for the industry and continues the encouraging overall downwards trend in deaths on mines. In 2022, the industry reported 49 fatalities, which was then a record low, but there was a regression to 55 fatalities in the following year. There was a 24% year-on-year decline in fatalities in 2024.
Injuries declined by 16% year on year to 1 841 in 2024 from 2 181 the year before.
Occupational diseases declined by 17% to 1 864 cases in 2024 from 2 233 the year before.
“As we reflect on the safety and health performance of the mining industry in 2024, our hearts go out to the families, friends and colleagues who tragically lost their lives this past year. Each loss is deeply felt and serves as a poignant reminder of the responsibility we in the mining industry carry to ensure the safety and well-being of all mineworkers. Behind every statistic lies a human story – a family forever changed, a community grieving, and a workplace marked by loss,” says the Mineral Council.
The encouraging outcomes in safety and health reflect the collective tripartite commitment of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, Minerals Council members, organised labour to achieve our collective aspiration of Zero Harm, which prioritises returning every worker home with no harm. “We believe Zero Harm is achievable.”
As the Minerals Council enters 2025, it will launch Khumbul’ekhaya Version 2 – a refined and evolutionary strategy derived from CEO Heartfelt Conversations to build on the learnings it has gathered since it launched the CEO-led health and safety initiative in 2019.
Khumbul’ekhaya Version 2 focuses on critical enhancements to leadership, innovation and accountability. This strategy embodies the collective vision of Zero Harm, returning every worker home safely and healthy every day. It also emphasises a proactive, human-centred approach to health and safety, incorporating new technologies, robust risk management practices, adoption of proven leading practices, and closer collaboration with all stakeholders.
“Our approach takes account of the new milestones we jointly set with the Department and organised labour in the Mine Health and Safety Council last year.
“The journey to Zero Harm is as much about innovation and modernisation as it is about empathy and shared commitment. It requires every one of us to align our actions with the belief that Zero Harm can be achieved. Let us honour those we have lost by turning their stories into a legacy of transformation and by striving to ensure that no family, no community and no workplace endures such pain again.
“Our flagship programme to fast-track progress on health and safety, the MOSH Learning Hub, has played a pivotal role in the successes we have achieved. The programme, on falls of ground, transport and machinery and dust and noise control through promotion of leading practices in the industry has been a phenomenal success.
“The Masoyise Health Programme has contributed to the gains made in significantly reducing tuberculosis rates in the industry. The deaths from tuberculosis in 2023, however, illustrate the need for, and our commitment to, bolster our interventions in this curable disease.”
